- Peng Yew Chow and Guido Governatori.
-
Representing and reasoning on XForms
document.
In Klaus-Dieter Schewe and Hugh E. Williams, editors, Database Technology
2004, number 27 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, pages 141-150. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS,
19-21 January 2004. Copyrigth © 2004
ACS.
Abstract:Forms are the most common way to interface users and
Web-based applications. Traditional forms cannot provide the functionality
needed to fulfil the requirements of complex applications. As such, there is
a need for a more advanced format of forms to support Web-based application.
We argued that XForms easily fit into this criterion of forms. In addition,
we observed that there is a need for a tool to reason about the forms with
respect to user needs and application requirements. We propose to use
Description Logic ALCQI to reason about forms generated by XForms.
- Guido Governatori, Antonino Rotolo, and Shazia
Sadiq.
-
A model of dynamic resource allocation
in workflow systems.
In Klaus-Dieter Schewe and Hugh E. Williams, editors, Database Technology
2004, number 27 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, pages 197-206. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS,
19-21 January 2004, Copyrigth ©
2004 ACS.
Abstract:Current collaborative work environments are
characterized by dynamically changing organizational structures. Although
there have been several efforts to refine work distribution, especially in
workflow management, most literature assumes a static database approach which
captures organizational roles, groups and hierarchies and implements a
dynamic roles based agent assignment protocol. However, in practice only
partial information may be available for organizational models, and in turn a
large number of exceptions may emerge at the time of work assignment. In this
paper we present an organizational model based on a policy based normative
system. The model is based on a combination of an intensional logic of agency
and a flexible, but computationally feasible, non-monotonic formalism
(Defeasible Logic). Although this paper focuses on the model specification,
the proposed approach to modelling agent societies provides a means of
reasoning with partial and unpredictable information as is typical of
organizational agents in workflow systems.
- Benjamin Johnston and Guido Goverantori.
-
An algorithm for the induction of defeasible
logic theories from databases.
In Klaus-Dieter Schewe and Xiaofang Zhou, editors, Database Technology
2003, number 17 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, pages 75-83. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS, 4-7
February 2003. Copyrigth ©
2003 ACS.
Abstract:Defeasible logic is a non-monotonic logic with
applications in rule-based domains such as law. To ease the development and
improve the accuracy of expert systems based on defeasible logic, it is
desirable to automatically induce a theory of the logic from a training set
of precedent data. Empirical evidence suggests that minimal theories that
describe the training set tend to be more faithful representations of
reality. We show via transformation from the hitting set problem that this
global minimization problem is intractable, belonging to the class of NP
optimisation problems. Given the inherent difficulty of finding the optimal
solution, we instead use heuristics and demonstrate that a best-first,
greedy, branch and bound algorithm can be used to find good theories in short
time. This approach displays significant improvements in both accuracy and
theory size as compared to recent work in the area that post-processed the
output of an Aprori association rule-mining algorithm, with comparable
execution times.
- Benjamin Johnston and Guido Governatori.
-
Induction of defeasible logic theories
in the legal domain.
In Giovanni Sartor, editor, Procedings of the 9th International
Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law, pages 204-213. IAAIL, ACM
Press, 2003.Copyrigth
© 2003 ACM.
Abstract:The market for intelligent legal information systems
remains relatively untapped and while this might be interpreted as an
indication that it is simply impossible to produce a system that satisfies
the needs of the legal community, an analysis of previous attempts at
producing such systems reveals a common set of deficiencies that in-part
explain why there have been no overwhelming successes to date. Defeasible
logic, a logic with proven successes at representing legal knowledge, seems
to overcome many of these deficiencies and is a promising approach to
representing legal knowledge. Unfortunately, an immediate application of
technology to the challenges in this domain is an expensive and
computationally intractable problem. So, in light of the benefits, we seek to
find a practical algorithm that uses heuristics to discover an approximate
solution. As an outcome of this work, we have developed an algorithm that
integrates defeasible logic into a decision support system by automatically
deriving its knowledge from databases of precedents. Experiments with the new
algorithm are very promising - delivering results comparable to and
exceeding other approaches.
- Ruopeng Lu, Shazia Sadiq, and Guido Governatori.
-
Measurement of compliance distance in business processes.
Information Systems Management, 25 no. 4 pp. 344-355, 2008.,
Copyrigth © 2008 Taylor &
Francis.
Abstract: Ensuring that work practice is compliant to regulations
and industrial standards is an increasingly important issue in business
systems. Whereas as an understanding of control objectives that stem from
various legislative, standard and contractual sources may be found at
strategic or tactical levels, an assessment of their effective adoption in
operational practices is extremely hard. In this paper, we propose a method
for assessing the level of compliance in business work practice. The method
builds upon business process management platforms, and provides the ability
to objectively measure the compliance distance of existing processes within
the organization. This in turn empowers process designers and business
analysts to quantify the effort required to achieve a compliant process.
- Ruopeng Lu, Shazia Sadiq, and Guido Governatori.
-
On
managing business processes variants.
Data and Knowledge Engineering, 2009.
Abstract: Variance in business process execution can be the
result of several situations, such as disconnection between documented models
and business operations, workarounds in spite of process execution engines,
dynamic change and exception handling, flexible and ad-hoc requirements, and
collaborative and/or knowledge intensive work. It is imperative that
effective support for managing process variances be extended to organizations
mature in their BPM (Business Process Management) uptake so that they can
ensure organization wide consistency, promote reuse and capitalize on their
BPM investments. This paper presents an approach for managing business
processes that is conducive to dynamic change and the need for flexibility in
execution. The approach is based on the notion of process constraints. It
further provides a technique for effective utilization of the adaptations
manifested in process variants. In particular, we will present a facility for
discovery of preferred variants through effective search and retrieval based
on the notion of process similarity, where multiple aspects of the process
variants are compared according to specific query requirements. The advantage
of this approach is the ability to provide a quantitative measure for the
similarity between process variants, which further facilitates various BPM
activities such as process reuse, analysis and discovery.
- Ruopeng Lu, Shazia Sadiq and Guido Governatori.
-
Utilizing
Successful Work Practice for Business Process Evolution.
In Witold Abramowicz and Heinrich C. Mayr editors, Business Information Systems (BIS
2006), volume 85 in \Lecture Notes in Informatics,
pages 58-76, Berlin, 2006.
Copyright © 2006, GI.
Abstract:
Business process management (BPM) has emerged as a
dominant technology in current enterprise systems
and business solutions. However, business processes
are always evolving in current dynamic business
environments where requirements and goals are
constantly changing. Whereas literature reports on
the importance of domain experts in process
modelling and adaptations, current solutions have
not addressed this issue effectively. In this paper,
we present a framework that utilizes successful work
practice to support business process evolution. The
framework on one hand provides the ability to use
domain expert knowledge and experience to tailor
individual process instances according to case
specific requirements; and on the other, provides a
means of using this knowledge through learning
techniques to guide subsequent process changes.
- Ruopeng Lu, Shazia Sadiq, Guido Governatori, and
Xiaoping Yang.
-
Defining
adaptation constraints for business process variants.
In 12th International Conference on Business Information Systems,
Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing 7.
Springer, 2009, Copyrigth
© 2009 Springer.
Abstract: In current dynamic business environment, it has been
argued that certain characteristics of ad-hocism in business processes are
desirable. Such business processes typically have a very large number of
instances, where design decisions for each process instance may be made at
runtime. In these cases, predictability and repetitiveness cannot be counted
upon, as the complete process knowledge used to define the process model only
becomes available at the time after a specific process instance has been
instantiated. The basic premise is that for a class of business processes it
is possible to specify a small number of essential constraints at design
time, but allow for a large number of execution possibilities at runtime. The
objective of this paper is to conceptualise a set of constraints for process
adaptation at instance level. Based on a comprehensive modelling framework,
business requirements can be transformed to a set of minimal constraints, and
the support for specification of process constraints and techniques to ensure
constraint quality are developed.
- Ruopeng Lu, Shazia Sadiq, and Guido Governatori.
-
Measurement of compliance distance in business processes.
Information Systems Management, 25(4): 344-355, 2008.
Copyrigth ©
2008 Taylor & Francis.
Abstract: Ensuring that work practice is compliant to
regulations and industrial standards is an increasingly important issue in
business systems. Whereas as an understanding of control objectives that
stem from various legislative, standard and contractual sources may be found
at strategic or tactical levels, an assessment of their effective adoption
in operational practices is extremely hard. In this paper, we propose a
method for assessing the level of compliance in business work practice. The
method builds upon business process management platforms, and provides the
ability to objectively measure the compliance distance of existing processes
within the organization. This in turn empowers process designers and
business analysts to quantify the effort required to achieve a compliant
process.
- Ruopeng Lu, Shazia Sadiq, Vineet Padmanabhan and Guido Governatori.
-
Using a Temporal Constraint Network for Business Process Execution.
In Gillian Dobbie and James Bailey, editors, Database Technology
2006, number 49 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, pages 157-166. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS,
16-19 January 2006. Copyrigth © 2006
ACS.
Abstract:
Business process management (BPM) has emerged as a dominant
technology in current enterprise systems and business
solutions. However, the technology continues to face challenges
in coping with dynamic business environments where requirements
and goals are constantly changing. In this paper, we present a
modelling framework for business processes that is conducive to
dynamic change and the need for flexibility in execution. This
framework is based on the notion of process constraints. Process
constraints may be specified for any aspect of the process, such
as task selection, control flow, resource allocation, etc. Our
focus in this paper is on a set of scheduling constraints that
are specified through a temporal constraint network. We will
demonstrate how this specification can lead to increased
flexibility in process execution, while maintaining a desired
level of control. A key feature and strength of the approach is
to use the power of constraints, while still preserving the
intuition and visual appeal of graphical languages for process
modelling.
- Vineet Padmanabhan, Guido Governatori,
Shazia Sadiq, Robert Colomb and Antonino Rotolo.
-
Process Modelling: The Deontic Way.
In Markus Stumptner, Sven Hartmann
and Yasushi Kiyoki, editors, Database Technology
2006, number 53 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, pages 75-84. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS,
16-19 January 2006. Copyrigth © 2006
ACS.
Abstract:Current enterprise systems rely heavily on the modelling and
enactment of business processes. One of the key criteria for a
business process is to represent not just the behaviours of the
participants but also how the contractual relationships among them
evolve over the course of an interaction.
In this paper we provide a framework in which one can define policies/
business rules using deontic assignments to represent the
contractual relationships.
To achieve this end we use a combination of deontic/normative concepts
like proclamation, directed obligation and
direct action to account for a deontic theory of commitment
which in turn can be used to model business processes in their
organisational settings. In this way we view a business process
as a social interaction process for the purpose of doing
business. Further, we show how to extend the i* framework, a
well known organisational modelling technique, so as to accommodate
our notion of deontic dependency.
- Pakornpong Pothipruk and Guido Governatori
-
A
Formal Ontology Reasoning with Individual Optimization: A
Realization of the Semantic Web. In M. Kitsuregawa, E. Neuhold
and A. Ngu, editors, Web Information Systems Engineering. WISE
2005, pages 119-134. LNCS 3806, Springer, Berlin, 2005, The
original pubblication is available
at www.springerlink.com.
Abstract:
Answering a query over a group of RDF data pages is a trivial process.
However, in the Semantic Web, there is a need for ontology technology.
Consequently, OWL, a family of web ontology languages based on description
logic, has been proposed for the Semantic Web. Answering a query over
the Semantic Web is thus not trivial, but a deductive process.
However, the reasoning on OWL with data has an efficiency problem.
Thus, we introduce optimization techniques for the inference algorithm.
This work demonstrates the techniques for instance checking and
instance retrieval problems with respect to $\mathcal{ALC}$ description
logic which covers certain parts of OWL.
- Pakornpong Pothipruk and Guido Governatori.
-
An Optimization for Query Answering on ALC Database.
In Gillian Dobbie and James Bailey, editors, Database Technology
2006, number 49 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, page 129-137. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS,
16-19 January 2006. Copyrigth © 2006
ACS.
Abstract:
Query answering over OWLs and RDFs on the Semantic Web is, in general,
a deductive process. To this end, OWL, a family of web ontology
languages based on description logic, has been proposed as the
language for the Semantic Web. However, reasoning even on ALC, a
description logic weaker than OWL, faces efficiency problem. To
obviate this problem, at least for ALC, we propose a partition
approach that improves the efficiency by splitting the search space
into independent Aboxes. Each partition class, i.e., an Abox, can be
queried independently. The answer to a query is the simple combination
of the answers from each Abox. We prove the correctness of this
approach and we outline how to represent compactly the content of each
independent Abox. This work can be seen as an optimization for
querying a deductive semi-structured database.
- Bela Stantic, Guido Governatori and Abdul Sattar.
-
Handling of Current Time in Native XML Databases.
In Gillian Dobbie and James Bailey, editors, Database Technology
2006, number 49 in Conference Research and Practice of Information
Technology, 175-182. Australian Computer Science Association, ACS,
16-19 January 2006. Copyrigth © 2006
ACS.
Abstract:The introduction of Native XML databases opens many
research questions related to the data models used to represent
and manipulate data, including temporal data in XML. Increasing
use of XML for Valid Web pages warrants an adequate treatment of
now in Native XML databases. In this study, we examined how
to represent and manipulate now-relative temporal data. We
identify different approaches being used to represent current time
in XML temporal databases, and introduce the notion of storing
variables such as `now' or `UC' as strings in XML native
databases. All approaches are empirically evaluated on a query
that time-slices the timeline at the current time. The
experimental results indicate that the proposed extension offers
several advantages over other approaches: better semantics, less
storage space and better response time.
- Insu Song and Guido Governatori.
-
Affective web service design.
In Qiang Yang and Geoff Webb, editors, Ninth Pacific Rim International
Conference on Artificial Intelligence, LNAI 4099, pages 71-80,
Guilin, 7-11 August 2006. Springer, Copyrigth © 2006 Springer.
Abstract:In this paper, we propose that, in order to improve
customer satisfaction, we need to incorporate communication modes (e.g.,
speech act) in the current standards of web services specifications. We show
that with the communication modes, we can estimate various affects on service
consumers during their interactions with web services. With this information,
a web-service management system can automatically prevent and compensate
potential negative affects, and even take advantage of positive affect.